a police officer has been shot dead and three others wounded. a dozen protesters have been killed in the last 2a hours. president rouhani has insisted the unrest is california has become the largest state in the us to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. it's thought the industry could generate $1 billion a year in tax revenue. opponents say the new law will lead to more driving under the influence of the drug and introduce young people to drug use. air accident investigators in australia say it could take months before they know why a seaplane, carrying a prominent british businessman and his family, crashed on new year's eve. richard cousins was killed along with his two sons, his fiance, her daughter and the pilot. now, with a nasa mission to mars and a british iceberg expedition to the antarctic on the agenda, there's much to look forward to in the world of science in 2018. here's a look ahead at the top

stories and events to watch for this year. hello. let's see what is in for 2018. nasa is heading to mars and this time it will delve any of the planet's surface. the mission would study the red planet's interior, using a self hammering probe to borrow deep down than ever before. it hopes to understand how the rocky planet is formed. british scientists are leading an expedition to a colossal new iceberg in the antarctic. it wrote the wake over the summer and covers an area of almost 6000 square kilometres and weighs1 almost 6000 square kilometres and weighs 1 trillion tons. they want to investigate the hidden marine ecosystem left exposed by this shifting block of ice. a critical

new climate report will be released in 2018. they will look at how it is feasible for the world to keep global temperature rise under 1.5 degrees celsius and it will access what will happen if we don't. —— assessed. and will have a final last of four this elon musk‘s co, the world ‘s most powerful operational rocket. while it is made in boyd will be unmanned, it is designed to eventually carry humans into space. the european and japanese space agencies have their sight set on mercury. covered in craters and towering cliffs and ancient volcanoes, until now, the smallest planet in our solar system has been little explored but this spacecraft is set to change that. it will arrive in 2025 but scientists say

the wait will be worth it. the kilogram is set for an overhaul. until now the standard weight has been defied using a lump of metal sitting in a paris vault. the problem is, every time it is handled a few atoms and rub off. now they plan to use quantum mechanic to provide a far more accurate measurement. now on bbc news, the travel show india. a vast country, home to over a billion people, birthplace of illustrious, ancient civilisations. .. and today, a fast emerging global power. and 70 years after independence, india is still a diverse, ever—evolving assortment of cultures, creeds, religions and languages. heading off the well—worn tourist path, we're on a journey that spans this vast subcontinent from east to west, travelling from one

of the driest places on earth... it's quite incredible, the sand. i mean, it'sjust hard crystals, white salt. you can probably taste it. ..to one of the wettest. these are areas really for the adventurous traveller. this isn't india on tap. i'm on a quest to find out how history, religion and politics have shaped india. and i also meet the people who call this intriguing and sometimes overwhelming country home. it's going to be an amazing journey. for thousands of years, india found its riches and influence through international trade. and at the heart of this enterprise was the sea.

and the state of gujarat, with 1,000 miles of coastline, served as a shipping gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. this is as far west as you can get in india, and it's the mingling of all the influences from overseas that have helped make gujarat what it is today. the region is known as kutch, and its beaches, like here in mandvi, are a popular domestic tourist attraction. but this ancient port town's economy is still anchored in a much older maritime tradition. this is genuinely incredible. i'm in heaven. a huge shipyard with boats and ships at various stages of construction, all made from wood. in an industry dominated by bulky

and expensive container ships, these smaller, more agile vessels are still in huge demand. so here are, really close up to these incredible hulks. this one is in mid—construction. we can actually go inside. i'm going to see how they make these things. apparently, each of these dhows takes two and a half years to make. for many of the workers, shipbuilding is a family tradition. and this ancient craft is now attracting unexpected new admirers. the region of kutch was home to one of the world's earliest civilisations, and can be traced back to prehistoric times. its old royal capital is the city of bhuj. its glory days are kind of over.

it was badly hit by the 2001 earthquake. there's a kind of melancholy about this area, because obviously, this was once the real, opulent centre of a rich empire, trading empire anyway, and the hub was here. but what is still flourishing is bhuj‘s aso—year—old market just a few minutes away, where the trading tradition continues. what do they sell here? they sell everything. fruit, vegetables, fabric, groceries. they sell everything. all cultural backgrounds can be seen in the marketplace. here, as you can see, all different communities and ethnic groups come here. but kutch‘s natural

harmony was disrupted 70 years ago, when the british left. the country was divided on religious grounds, with muslims partitioned to the north in pakistan, and hindus to the south in india. we drove out of the city towards the border with pakistan, along the way encountering some kutch herdsmen. they've been living here for 400 or 500 years. since, they migrated down south into kutch from sindh, which is now part of pakistan. ever since the split, there's been tension between the two governments, but to these herdsmen, national borders and religious differences mean little. for the people of kutch, india and pakistan or hindu/muslim is not that important. people are religious, of course, but they're living in harmony and the relationship between these two different groups is brotherly.

when two countries were created from one, indelible scars were left on the psyche of the subcontinent. archive: independence has not yet brought them peace. rejoicing turned quickly into horror and mourning. in dramatic scenes, more than a million people died in religious rioting, and many millions more were displaced. this all used to be one, but now it's divided in two. and now the border itself has become a tourist attraction. that way is pakistan? that way is pakistan, about 70 kilometres up north. that is where the india—pakistan border is, which lies along the middle of kutch, which is a geographical valley. at nearly 500 metres above sea level, the highest point, kalo dungar hill, allows us a dramatic view of this

geological phenomenon, the rann, or desert of kutch, which continues into pakistan. i wanted to get up closer to this natural wonder. it's quite incredible, the sand. i mean, it'sjust hard crystals, white salt. you can probably taste it. really unusual to see something like this. the further out i walked, the less lovely it became. it's actually quite incredible. it's more like snow or sludge than white sand or white crystals when it gets wet around here. i'm getting really deep into it. whoa! today, this shimmering wilderness is a healthy source of income for the region, thanks mainly to a three—month long

festival throughout the winter. it is amazing. what was a vast, barren landscape has been transformed into this colourful complex, whereby at night, there's live music and other performances and by day, there's plenty of other activities. just here is what you might call the glamping quarters. 50,000 people have come here in the last couple of months alone. i guess this is a cross between a weekend festival and a holiday resort. it's basically a honeypot for the booming middle classes of india in what has been one of the fastest—growing economies in the world. the revival of interest in kutch culture, boosted by the festival, has been a lifeline for one group of locals in particular, folk musicians.

music in particular is very rich over here. previously, they used to perform with their cattles, the shepherds. then afterwards, when they came home, they'd get together and their speech and songs are being performed. it's a day—to—day practice. one person plays two flutes of the same time? yes. now, for example, 500 cattles are there and only one shepherd is there. so he'll sit and start playing this and whatever musical reach this has, the cattles will not go out of that range. wow. and they enjoy the music, so the digestive system, the milk output increases. so this is the beauty of it. so it's almost like meditation. yeah. things are changing, definitely.

as you say, tourism, so many music festivals are there, so they are invited in various parts of india and abroad. and of course, they are very well paid. and not only do i get a demonstration, but also the privilege of playing along... as lead tinkler. and yet again, i'm made aware that kutch culture is all about a sense of community and certainly not about religious segregation. from the bottom of my heart, i am telling you till today, in spiritual and music forms, hindus and muslims sit together and perform till today. for the next part of myjourney,

i'm heading to the south—east of gujarat, to the town ofjunagadh. ah, the classic indian railway station. to me, nothing sums up this country better than the indian railway network. more than any political act, they say that this is what unifies this country. i remember as a small child being on an indian train and being totally overwhelmed by it, but i love it. ah, this feels imminent. who knows when this was made, this train? it looks pretty damn old to me. but wow, look at that. it's a network that ferries millions

of passengers daily across tens of thousands of track to nearly 7,000 stations. it's one of the world's biggest employers. if there's one defining legacy of british rule, it's the vast, sprawling, creaking indian railway network. it's still the lifeblood of the country today. they sing. i'll tell you this. you wouldn't get this on a suburban train on a cold wednesday morning in london, or any other western city. this is unique. do you know everyone on this carriage? yeah.

yeah, from the train journey? yeah, trainjourney, train friends. you're the train friends, excellent. you have a community. is it lucky to have a seat on the train? yes. very lucky. she's very lucky. like you. like me! so here we are, the ancient, fortified city of junagadh, crowded and noisy, as i expected. let's go explore. just a few minutes from the station

along a dusty, busy road, stands this jaw—dropping and little—known architectural wonder. built in the late 19th century, the mahabat maqbara is an elaborate mausoleum, blending indian, islamic, gothic and european architecture. the intricate carvings took over a decade to complete, and the whole structure reflects the opulence and influences of the time. back in the day, under the british raj, there were hundreds of so—called princely states run by maharajahs and nawabs, powerful and wealthy men. there was one such character here, a nawab who made a decision that still has ramifications for relations with india and pakistan even today. these nawabs led lavish

lifestyles, in stark contrast to ordinary indians. the nawab ofjunagadh, mahabat khan iii, was no different. archive: this states celebrates the marriage of the eldest son of the nawab with all the pomp and splendour of a princely wedding. harish desai was ten in 19116, and recalls the splendour of the ceremony. archive: escorted by the royal guard, the bridegroom drives in state through the streets. before him and the procession goes a costly profusion of wedding gifts. all the princes were there, attired in a princely pattern with turbans of a particular type on their head. dance girls used to be brought there, musicians and all that. that lasted for several days. and he recalls getting his first taste of this other world.

for the first time, i saw bread, butter, sandwich. that was not known to us here. my father said "you eat this. this is bread and this is butter". and i liked it. there were small pastries. i still remember that made in england, london, there were huntley & palmers biscuits. the important thing is the formal photograph of his highness, mahabat khan iii. the nawab‘s own most legendary indulgence was his love of animals. his main hobby was for dogs. he was mad after dogs. i think almost all varieties and breeds of dogs from all over the world were here. he used to arrange marriages for dogs, and celebrated with parties and honeymoon. honeymoon! he used to do it.

but with the advent of independence, the power and influence of india's royal rulers was coming to an end. come partition, the muslim nawab wanted to make junagadh part of the newly created islamic pakistan... even though the town is more than 80% hindu and hundreds of kilometres from the border. infuriated, the new indian government rallied its troops. the news started coming that the army is coming with huge tanks and trucks and jeeps and artillery and guns and everything are there. junagadh state was besieged on three sides also. an economic blockade was ordered, cutting off supplies of food

and resources into the region. eventually, junagadh acceded to india and the nawab fled to pakistan. yet to this day, 70 years on, his great—grandson still lays claim to junagadh. and the episode lingers as a reminder of the last days of the raj in india. and 65 kilometres down the road in the gir sanctuary, the nawab‘s legacy as an animal lover extraordinaire continues with the most regal of creatures. now, lions may have iconic status here. they're a royal symbol and they're in hindu mythology, but at the beginning of the last century, they were threatened with extinction. i'm going somewhere now which is the only natural abode of the asiatic lion.

the nawab preserved vast tracts of this forest to provide lions with a stable habitat, and banned hunting. the asiatic lions are smaller and paler than their african relatives. and these are their modern—day protectors, india's first female forest rangers, the so—called lion queens of gir. now they're part of a team that performs more animal rescues than any other wildlife park in the world. on average, the unarmed rangers cover 25 kilometres a day and have to tackle venomous snakes, leopards and poachers as well as lions.

if they did get agitated, how would you be able to tell from the animal? how would you know if you're safe or not, being this close to the animal? and it did get dangerous for her early on in her career here. applications from women for these posts have rocketed, and the rangers are role models and trailblazers in the region today. 0oh, look at that mouth. the good news is that from once being in danger of extinction, numbers have climbed to over 500. the next, much more welcome, problem is if the sanctuary is big enough for their growing population. so, the first part of my travels

across india comes to a close. but next week, i head to the north—east of the country. i'm on the banks of the mighty river brahmaputra, and about to go to a very spiritual place. and with the amount of people crammed on here as well, it's going to be an experience. a region that prides itself on tradition and creativity, and a passionate desire to protect this unique part of the world forfuture generations. good morning.

we have some very stormy weather to come in the week ahead — winds often touching up to gale—force, widely across the british isles, and some heavy rain to contend with, too. ahead of all that, actually quite quiet this morning. light winds overnight and clear skies mean for some of us it could be a frosty start. but we will then quickly watch this band of rain winging its way into the west, so the fine weather not set to last. a dry start, though, across eastern scotland, with some early sunshine. cloudy already, though, in the west, and some rain pushing in. a wet rush hour for northern ireland. still i think, at 8:00am, largely dry across northern england, but rain affecting many parts of wales, and also pushing into the south—west. the wind picking up across the midlands and the south—east. we'll start to see the rain pushing its way through here pretty quickly through the morning. and chances are, if you start the day with rain, your prospects will look a lot better by the afternoon, whereas if you start fine, quite a wet spell to come for you by lunchtime, maybe even a wintry spell across the northern hills of england and scotland, as this weather front

quickly whips its way across the british isles. strong winds accompanying it, too, but lighter winds through the afternoon, and there should be some spells of sunshine too. quite mild, as well, in the south. but the quieter weather very short—lived. here is our next low, waiting to come spinning in from the atlantic, overnight tuesday into wednesday. this is quite a vicious little feature. it could even bring even severe gales to a central swathe of the british isles. it'll be accompanied by some heavy rains, as well. those winds could be damaging, and even as the low starts to pull away on wednesday, behind it, we continue with strong winds, and the showers that get sucked in behind the low. very squally affairs — some heavy rain, hail and thunder. and i think quite a chilly feel in the wind, despite temperatures still managing to make it into double figures to the south of the british isles. and then, well, we'lljust continue really along the same line. as we look at the remainder of the week, perhaps a little bit quieter briefly first thing on thursday, and then another low, which is going to basically cover the british isles for the latter

part of the week. some more rain to come, more strong winds, and then potentially, at the very end of the week, turning colder. thursday, wettest and windiest towards the south and west. perhaps some drier and brighter weather towards the north—east, somewhat chillier here, however. and then friday, well, for all of us, strong winds. there'll be some heavy rain, as well, perhaps the worst of the winds across the central region of the british isles. but no matter where you are, i think, no escaping the stormy weather in the week ahead. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's gavin grey. our top stories: more violence as iran's protests continue for a fifth day. president rouhani insists they're an "opportunity, not a threat". high time for a change. californians celebrate as cannabis is legalised for recreational use. and taking a stand against sexual harassment. stars launch a campaign to support

women in the workplace. plus, no snow? no problem. confidence from china ahead of the 2022 winter olympics.